Effect of substance P on human lymphocyte proliferation in vitro: a comparison between normal and birch pollen allergic individuals.
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Concanavalin A↗
Biomedical subjects
S Rak
Publications and source records attributed to S Rak.
The influence of substance P on the proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal individuals and birch pollen-allergic patients.
We have studied the influence of substance P (SP) on the proliferative response of concanavalin A (ConA)-activated peripheral blood lymphocytes from 16 birch pollen-allergic patients, sampled before and during the pollen season, and from 15 normal individuals. The median response to ConA 3 micrograms/ml in the presence of SP 10(-11)-10(-6) M, was in most instances within +/- 10% of the control value for cells from both healthy and atopic individuals. However, the individual differences were considerable. Analysis of the proliferative responses to ConA of the cells from the allergic patients sampled before and during season, revealed higher responses in the presence of 10(-6) than of 10(-7) M SP. This was in contrast to the findings in the normal individuals: only half of their cells showed such increased responses. This difference in response frequency was statistically significant between allergic patients before season and normal individuals (P less than 0.05) and between allergic patients during season and normal individuals (P less than 0.01). The difference in proliferation rate in the SP concentration interval, 10(-6) to 10(-7) M, for the cells from allergic patients, sampled both before and during season, was significantly different from the cells from healthy individuals (P less than 0.03 and P less than 0.001 respectively). The cells sampled from four allergic subjects during the birch pollen season showed a more profoundly decreased response to ConA in the presence of SP 10(-8) M, compared with their cells sampled before season. Such responses were never seen with cells sampled before season and with cells from normal individuals. The results suggest an involvement of SP in the immunoregulation, particularly in patients exhibiting allergic reactions to birch pollen.
Adult↗
Eosinophil chemotactic activity in allergic patients during the birch pollen season: the effect of immunotherapy.
Recently, heat-labile eosinophil chemotactic activity (ECA) has been found in serum after challenge of allergic asthmatic patients. In this study, we investigated changes in ECA in 40 birch-allergic patients during the birch pollen season; 20 of them had been treated with immunotherapy of birch pollen extract before the season. ECA raised significantly (p less than 0.001) in the untreated birch pollen-allergic patients during the season. Immunotherapy completely abolished this activity.
Adolescent↗
Bronchial hyperreactivity after treatment with sodium cromoglycate in atopic asthmatic patients not exposed to relevant allergens.
The bronchial hyperreactivity, measured as the responsiveness to histamine, was studied in 14 atopic patients before, during, and after 4 wk of treatment with sodium cromoglycate (SCG) and placebo in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study. The patients were not exposed to relevant allergens during the study. The variations in provocation concentrations corresponding to 20% decrease in FEV1 (PC20) were small during both placebo and active drug treatment. After SCG treatment, PC20 increased (less responsiveness) in nine of the 14 patients, especially in those with low PC20 values. The difference between placebo and active drug treatment was not statistically significant. Although SCG has a mediator-inhibiting effect, this study gave no support for the assumption that inhibition of mediator release leads to a reduction of the bronchial hyperreactivity in atopic asthmatic subjects who are not exposed to relevant allergens.
Adult↗
Modification of bronchial hyperreactivity after treatment with sodium cromoglycate during pollen season.
Repeated bronchial histamine challenges before, during, and after the birch pollen season were performed in 22 allergic patients with bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) treated for 6 wk with sodium cromoglycate (SCG), 20 mg, four times a day, or placebo in a double-blind, randomized group comparison. Clinical assessments of the asthmatic symptom score and peak expiratory flow revealed less symptoms and less use of bronchodilators in the SCG group. Responsiveness to histamine was significantly increased in the placebo group after 14 days with high pollen counts. After the season there was an immediate return to preseasonal value. There was no change in responsiveness in the SCG group, demonstrating significant protection against pollen-induced increase of BHR. The results support the hypothesis that inhibition of mediator release, which is demonstrated for SCG, leads to a reduction of the nonspecific BHR.
Adolescent↗